Andy Reid, now in his 26th season as an NFL head coach, is set to make his sixth Super Bowl appearance against the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday.
This marks a rematch of Super Bowl LVII, where Reid and the Chiefs outlasted the Eagles 38-35.
If Reid, a former BYU offensive lineman, is able to hoist his fourth Lombardi Trophy on Sunday, we could be having serious conversations about his status as the greatest coach in NFL history.
The man he is seemingly chasing: Bill Belichick.
When looking at their coaching achievements side-by-side, Belichick clearly holds the upper hand as in 29 seasons he appeared in nine Super Bowls, won six championships, and holds an all-time winning percentage of 64.7%.
Comparatively, in 26 seasons Andy is now appearing in his sixth Super Bowl, has won three championships, and holds an all-time winning percentage of 65.1%.
However, there is an important detail that should be considered when having this conversation: Belichick’s win percentage without Tom Brady is a clear blemish on his resume.
Brady and Patrick Mahomes are arguably two of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game and both coaches have been dominant with them under center throughout their careers. But in this case, we're comparing coaching resumes, and it's a fair argument that if one is to be considered the greatest coach of all time, the full body of work should be examined.
Without Brady at the helm, Belichick holds a record of 83-101 (.451). In ten seasons without Brady as the starter, he made two postseason appearances where he went 1-2.
Reid's coaching record without Mahomes: 195-136 (.589), including regular season and playoffs. In 19 seasons without Mahomes, he made 13 playoff appearances, going 11-13, reached four NFC Championships with the Eagles, and appeared in one Super Bowl in 2004.
It should also be noted that all but one of those playoff victories came in Reid’s first ten seasons as a head coach.
Ultimately, Reid has proven that he is more than just a coach with an all-time great quarterback. While Belichick’s record with Brady is tough to match, Reid has shown he can win in a variety of situations.
If Reid can pull off another Super Bowl win on Sunday, it’ll be tough to deny that he belongs in the conversation for the greatest coach of all time.